Scammers are looking to take advantage of Eagles fans this weekend at the first playoff game. NBC10 Responds and Harry Hairston have tips on avoiding scams while buying playoff tickets.
NBC10 Responds: How to Avoid Scams While Buying Eagles Tickets
Funeral Services Set for Philly Firefighter Killed in Fire
Funeral services have been set for a Philadelphia firefighter who died in the line of duty while battling a rowhome fire in North Philadelphia.
Public viewings for Lieutenant Matthew LeTourneau, 42, will take place Thursday, January 11 from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday, January 12 at 9 a.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul on 19th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. Friday's public viewing will be followed by a funeral mass at 11 a.m. and then interment at Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery in Springfield, Pennsylvania.
LeTourneau, an 11-year veteran of the Philadelphia Fire Department, was one of 100 firefighters who responded to a two-alarm row home fire on the 2200 block of North Colorado Street shortly before 9 a.m. Saturday. He became trapped inside the home after a structure collapsed. He was pulled out by fellow firefighters and taken to Temple University Hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
A man who lived in the home was also killed in the fire. Officials and family members have not yet identified him but friends and neighbors described him as a talented basketball player and fixture of the community who was in his 50s.
Two other firefighters were treated at a hospital for undisclosed injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
On Monday, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf ordered all commonwealth flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of Lieutenant LeTourneau. The tribute will begin Tuesday and continue until Saturday. The order covers flags being flown at the Capitol complex and all commonwealth facilities.
LeTourneau was a member of Engine 45. He previously served at Engine 43 and Engine 57. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2015. He received a unit citation in 2010 and a letter of commendation for his service during the World Meeting of Families in 2015.
LeTourneau graduated from Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield in 1993 and held an associate’s degree in fire science from Delaware County Community College. He became a volunteer firefighter when he was a teenager and also served as an instructor at multiple fire academies around the area.
"It definitely was his passion," said Pennsylvania State Rep. Donna Bullock (D), a friend of LeTourneau's. "He was very much in love with his job as a fireman."
LeTourneau lived in Springfield and is survived by his mother, other relatives and friends.
"To say that Matt died doing what he loved is hard but I'm also very proud of that," said Timothy Bryce, the Director of Emergency Services in Springfield. "He led people and today he led a group of firefighters trying to save someone's life."
A procession for LeTourneau also took place Saturday afternoon as his body was taken from Philadelphia to the O'Leary Funeral Home in his hometown of Springfield. Outside the home, members of several area fire companies, loved ones and neighbors gathered to pay their respects.
"All we can do is honor them through coming out and just showing our respect and gratitude for all they do for us," said Mary Lynskey, a Springfield resident.
LeTourneau died a day before he was supposed to celebrate the anniversary of his fire academy graduation.
Officials continue to investigate the cause of the fire.
Photo Credit: Sean Riley, Jay Sharpe
Flu Season Is Upon Us
Flu season is here and it's right on schedule. NBC10's Deanna Durante spoke with doctors about how to keep yourself healthy during this time of year.
Officials End Search for UPenn Student Missing in Calif.
Authorities have ended their search for a college student in a large wilderness area in Southern California after a search and rescue team found no clues there, an Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman said Monday.
Carrie Braun, the spokeswoman, said the search for University of Pennsylvania student Blaze Bernstein, who vanished on the night of Jan. 2, included two dozen reserve deputies and lasted three days in Whiting Ranch Wilderness, a 2,500-acre about an hour south of Los Angeles.
“They felt like they did an extensive search,” she said, according to an NBC News report. “They didn’t find anything.”
Authorities said Bernstein, 19, was last seen wearing a dark-colored jacket, a dark gray long-sleeve sip-up and white Adidas.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Family
No Heat, Flooding for Some Housing Community Residents
As the entire region had to cope with the coldest temperatures in our area in decades, one housing community in Chester City, Pennsylvania was forced to do so without heat or hot water in their homes. The problems for the residents went from bad to worse when their homes started flooding Monday night.
The issues began Friday at the Ruth L. Bennett Homes in Chester City when dozens of the 261 units lost their heat and hot water. Management sent a letter to residents stating there were problems with the heating system after several underground pipes broke.
As if dealing with temperatures in the single digits and wind chills below zero without heat wasn’t bad enough, some of the residents then had to deal with flooding in their homes Monday, including Pam Hudnell. Video of water pouring into her home and flooding her floors was posted on social media.
“I thought somebody shot through my back door,” said Hudnell. “A big boom. And then all of this poured and then this poured.”
Hudnell had a mop in her hand for most of Monday night.
“It’s damn frustrating for an older woman that gotta come and try to sweep water to save my furniture,” she said.
Many residents had to resort to desperate measures to stay warm with some having their children sleep on the floor next to their ovens.
“I have a whole other curtain balled up to block the air at the top,” said Anika Adams. “So I’m making sure that we stay warm in here.”
Adams told NBC10 she’s doing everything she can for her four kids. One of her children is sleeping on the ground less than 20 feet away from the oven, which is on 350 degrees for the night.
“You have no other choice but to stay woke and to monitor your house and the stove and your children to make sure that it’s warm and that they are safe,” Adams said.
Management said they are doing everything they possibly can to fix the issue. They’ve handed out temporary space heaters and have opened up their community center. They hope to have everything fixed by Wednesday.
Korean Tensions Thaw for Olympics
North Korea has agreed to send a delegation to South Korea for the Winter Olympics. NBC10's Dray Clark has more.
Broken Pipe Sends Water From Center City Marriott
A pipe burst has the Philadelphia Water Department responding to the Marriott hotel at 12th and Market streets Tuesday morning.
Here Comes the Sun; There Goes the Ice
NBC10's Pamela Osborne talked with residents from South Philadelphia to see how they dealt with the early morning ice. Luckily, warmer temps and sunshine reduced the slippery situation.
Woman, 88, Died of Exposure After Falling Outside Home: PD
An elderly woman from Bucks County, Pennsylvania died from exposure after falling outside her home, police said.
The 88-year-old woman was discovered around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday outside her home on the 1900 block of Potters Place in Holland, Pennsylvania, Northampton Township Police Chief Michael Clark said.
Clark said investigators believe she died from exposure to the cold. Temps dipped into to mid-20s overnight.
No foul play was suspected. The body was turned over to the Bucks County coroner to determine an official cause of death.
The woman’s identification was withheld pending family notification.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
'STABLE GENIUS' Act Would Require Med. Exam for Candidates
Pennsylvania U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle introduced legislation on Tuesday that would require future presidential nominees to undergo a medical exam and have those results released to the public.
Under the Democrat's STABLE GENIUS Act proposal, major party nominees for president would submit to a medical examination by the Secretary of the Navy. The results would be filed with the Federal Election Commission and publicly accessible before that year's presidential election.
The bill's name is derived from President Donald Trump's personal assertions that he is "a very stable genius" and mentally fit to hold office. It's also an acronym for Standardizing Testing and Accountability Before Large Elections Giving Electors Necessary Information for Unobstructed Selection Act.
Boyle, who represents Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district covering parts of Northeast Philadelphia and Montgomery County, is a fierce Trump critic who regularly questions the president's ability to lead the country.
He said Trump's "reckless, erratic behavior has exposed a critical flaw in our existing election process."
"Before voting for the highest office in the land, Americans have a right to know whether an individual has the physical and mental fitness to serve as President of the United States," Boyle said.
"While it is necessary to take the current President’s concerning behavior seriously and I support legislation to address these ongoing concerns, I believe we must also be proactive and do all we can to ensure a situation like this does not arise again."
A request for comment from the White House was not immediately returned.
During an interview with Fox & Friends on Friday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said its "absolutely outrageous" to question whether the president is mentally fit to hold office.
"It's absolutely outrageous to make these types of accusations and it's simply untrue, and it’s sad that people are going and making these desperate attempts to attack the president," she said. "What I think is really mentally unstable is people that don't see the positive impact that this president is having on the country."
Recently, the author of a controversial book about Trump administration claimed that Trump's staff openly discusses the 25th Amendment, which outlines the chain of succession should a president, among other things, be deemed unable to discharge the duties of the office.
"Everybody in this White House, and I keep saying 100-percent because it is 100 percent of the people closest to the president, to Donald Trump, believe that there is something wrong here, something fundamentally wrong, something that scares them," Michael Wolff, author of "Fire and Fury" said Monday on MSNBC's Morning Joe. "As a matter of fact, if there is any reason they stay in the White House now it’s because they are scared, they believe they have a responsibility to the American people."
During the 2016 presidential election, Trump and some Republicans questioned Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's physical fitness for the job. Clinton fell ill at an event at Ground Zero on Sept. 11, 2016 and needed to be helped into an SUV. She was later diagnosed with pneumonia.
Trump will undergo his yearly physical at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday.
Photo Credit: Evan Vucci/AP, Matt Slocum/AP
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Did You Know? 11 Facts from Eagles Playoff History
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Still Haven't Got a Flu Shot? Never Too Late, Doctors Say
Flu season is upon us, and so is the annual ritual of your mother asking, "Did you get your flu shot?"
Two years ago, the flu swept through the northeast parts of the United States later in the year, around March. But this year, like in 2017, the flu season seems to be arriving just about on time — now.
Even if you haven't gotten that flu shot yet, one of the Delaware Valley's clinical care leaders says it's not too late. Dr. Robyn Baron, medical director of Temple University Health System's Readycare division, talked influenza with NBC10.
So the flu shot is still available for those who haven't gotten one yet?
Absolutely. It's available. Immunizations are usually (available) up to March 30. Those people at risk, they definitely want to immunize.
What are the most vulnerable populations?
The extremes of age: the elderly and the very young ones. Immunizations are given now at six months of age, in split doses. In general, it also includes those with lung issues, and diabetics.
Does that mean that young, healthy people have nothing to worry about?
No. For young people, think of it in the perspective of college-age kids in a dorm situation, in close contact, with many other people. In that situation, that predisposes them to something contagious like influenza.
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Baron said the flu vaccine doesn't guarantee immunity to the common influenza strains, but she said it definitely gives people a big leg up on those who don't receive it. The immunization, she said, takes about two weeks to completely take hold. So there is the chance that a person could get the flu in that two-week window. And of course, there are the less common mutations that pop up every year.
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Beyond the flu shot, what's some simple ways to lower the chance of contagion in the office, school and home?
One thing we should do every time we come into the office, before you sit at your desk or cubicle, clean everything down: the keyboard, the telephone, the mouse. You should always be thinking about good hand washing, especially if you’re coughing or touching a lot of door handles. You can’t live in a bubble, but there are small things to do to transmit back and forth.
Photo Credit: FILE
Husband of Slain NJ Radio Host Charged in Her Murder
More than five years after the death of his wife, a New Jersey doctor has been charged in her murder as well as using his medical practice to distribute illegal drugs through a partnership with an outlaw motorcycle gang.
Officials announced Monday that Dr. James Kauffman, 69, and an alleged accomplice have been charged in the murder of April Kauffman inside their home in Linwood, New Jersey back in May of 2012.
Dr. Kauffman is also charged with illegally selling drugs out of his medical practice through a partnership with the Pagan's Motorcycle Club, an outlaw motorcycle gang and alleged organized crime syndicate.
April Kauffman was a local businesswoman who hosted weekly talk shows and advocated for military veterans. She had received a governor’s award for outstanding community service a few days before she was found shot to death inside her Linwood, New Jersey home.
While April Kauffman’s daughter accused her stepfather of killing her, Dr. Kauffman denied any involvement in his wife’s murder. He was arrested over the summer however on unrelated charges following a caught on cam standoff with police.
On June 13, Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office investigators along with FBI agents and police converged on Dr. Kauffman’s office in Egg Harbor Township. NBC10 obtained body camera footage showing a standoff between Dr. Kauffman and police with the doctor yelling, “I’m not going to jail for this.”
Kauffman eventually surrendered and was taken in for a psychological examination. A law enforcement source confirmed with NBC10 the search at Kauffman’s medical practice was linked to a much wider probe into possible medical insurance fraud and kickbacks in the greater Atlantic City area.
Kauffman was already in custody on weapons charges stemming from the June arrest when officials announced the murder charges against him Monday.
This story is developing. Check back for updates.
Warmer Weather After Bitter Cold Poses Problems for Homeowners' Pipes
The warmup after days of bitter cold temperatures is exposing more problems for people's pipes. NBC10's Lauren Mayk shows us what new issues homeowners and plumbers are now dealing with.
Weather Warmup Heats Up Local Car Businesses
The warmup after days of bitter cold temperatures is bringing lots of business to local car washes following all the snow. NBC10's Miguel Martinez-Valle tells us how to take care of our cars during the changing temperatures.
Last Year's Presidential Election Sparks Civic Engagement
Some community groups say they've seen a spark in civic engagement since last year's presidential election. NBC10's Brandon Hudson shows us how some people are trying to make a change in their neighborhood.
Local Businesses Prep for Big Eagles Weekend
It's not just the Eagles fans looking forward to this weekend's playoff game- but local businesses. NBC10's Steven Fisher shows us how some are preparing for a busy weekend ahead.
Did Next Summer's Mosquitoes Hate That Cold Stretch Too?
Those already dreaming of backyard barbecues in 2018 could be forgiven following 12 straight days of sub-zero temperatures.
Looking back at the streak that ended Monday, which by some measurables ranked among the coldest stretches in decades, it's okay to ask: Did anything good come from all that cold?
A popular myth is that especially cold streaks in winter can lead to suppressed insect populations the following spring and summer months.
Occasionally, we journalists are the bearer of bad news: Bug life in 2018 will not be affected by whatever this winter brings.
"Each insect species have evolved from fluctuating weather over thousands and thousands of years," says Jason Weintraub, the entomology collections manager, aka bug expert, at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. "These short periods of cold weather or heat waves are background noise for the fauna and flora that have evolved over the tens of thousands of years."
He said it's global warming that will eventually change insect life in the Delaware Valley and greater Northeast section of the United States.
"The slow gradual warming has led to changing distribution patterns of insects," Weintraub said.
But he doesn't expect that to mean mosquitoes picking up and leaving this region any time soon.
The best way to predict how many mosquitoes will be around in the warmer months is by how humid and rainy the spring is. The wetter the spring, the more bugs, Weintraub said.
Photo Credit: KajaNi/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Dozens of Water Main Breaks Hit Philly
Philadelphia Water Department crews have been dealing with several water main breaks over the past few days due to the deep freeze. NBC10's Aaron Baskerville has the details.
#NBC10Mornings 'On the Road' at Montco Wawa
The #NBC10Mornings Team is back on the road Wednesday mornings.
The latest stop for the NBC10 Morning crew is the Wawa at 1145 Virginia Drive in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania.
NBC10 First Alert Weather meteorologist Bill Henley was there to meet viewers and sign autographs. NBC10 News anchors Tracy Davidson and Vai Sikahema planned to join him. The team will be there until 9 a.m.
Come out to say hello and grab a cup of coffee for free.
Be sure to tag us on social media in the photos you post from the event and use the hashtag #NBC10Mornings.
Photo Credit: Colleen Knudsen